The Office of the Ombudsperson was established in 2012 to provide staff of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with confidential, impartial, informal, and independent assistance to resolve workplace conflicts and issues. Its first annual report describes the operations of the office in fulfilling...

This paper assesses the social impact of the Asian Financial crisis, drawing on the results of studies in six countries, namely, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. The impacts appear to be less than were anticipated early in the...

This paper surveys the empirical literature on total factor productivity (TFP) and the sources of growth in the East Asian Countries. It raises the queston whether the literature has helped us understand better the factors that have propelled growth in the region. The paper discusses the main...

The ninth Round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTNs) is to be launched at the end of November 1999 in Seattle. It is essential for the Asian Economies, particularly those that are known to be sucessful exporters, to participate in this Round skillfully because what transpires tin the Rouns...

This paper outlines an expanded and more challenging role for multilateral development banks (MDBs) in the provision of longer term development finance. The traditional role has to be further refocused and expanded to cover mobilization of private sector resources, both external and internal.

Corporate Governance (CG) principles provide guidance on how corporations should operate. Adoption of international CG best practices leads to long-term sustainability and resilience, and can be a competitive tool to attract foreign investments. The Asian Development Bank in partnership with the...

This sector assessment, strategy, and road map highlights the Government of Viet Nam’s plans and strategies for addressing priority needs for the financial sector and identifies possible preliminary areas of international assistance. It assesses key sector development needs by analyzing...

The People’s Republic of China is a highly decentralized unitary state with local governments having a dominant share of public service delivery responsibility. Local governance is critically linked to a local public finance system that creates incentives and accountability mechanisms. To...

This brief gives an overview of women’s entrepreneurship in the region, and describes (i) how information and communication technology (ICT) can be used to support business activity and overcome challenges specific to women, (ii) the barriers preventing women from enjoying the full benefits...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported the provincial authorities of Quang Nam in Viet Nam to scale up the implementation of payments for forest environmental services (PFES) through a technical assistance financed by the Governments of Sweden and Norway. The project pilot-tested two...